Electrocapillary apparatus.



No. 844,080. PATENTED PEB.12, 1907. J. T. ARMSTRONG & -A. 0mm.

ELEGTROOAPILLARY APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED MAR.21,1905.

PATENT ELF -QTRQfiAPlLLARY APPAQATUSQ Ki o 84.45389.

' sum it may concern.- Be lb l-xiown that We, JAMES TARBOTTON -L STRONG, a subject of the King oi England, and AXEL ORLING, a. suhgect of the King of Sweden, hotli residing at London, England, have invented new and useful Iniprovements in. end Releting to Electrocapilhiry Apparatus, of which the f owing is a specification. I

m This i vention relates to electrocapillary apparatus, and has for its object the improvemerits hereinafter descii'oed with reference to the eccomp anying diagrammatic drawings,

is which- 1 Figure 1 shows a. vertical section through ports of on elccti'occpillory detector emfl 'ingg our sci: "nproveinents. Fig. 2 is e. illust iting our improved electrocepil recorder; and 3 is e transverse ion, on an enlarged scale, through the .illory end of the mercury-tube, illustrat- I modification.

' Ling to L118 construction shown in 1 we employ a 5.,l-shoped tube or vessel i a neck g of reduced diameter the top oi. one of its legs. This ppliei'i "with :1. suitable quantity of which occupies the bend at the he U; and suitable quantity sulfuric acid (1 or othei' suitable iluid conductor, which occupies 2c {left of the leg, provided with. the I other leg being entered by a. rod cnt part 35, adapted to displace the ind to so adj st the height of the l in the other into the HQCli, related to, We introduce the v end it of a tube 7". containing ecol- "reuiy which is prevented from he capillary forces. The copilthis tube f is of uniform diamd by :lmWi' out a. tube but the dimensions are at the bottom of the cury wi l he located at the top port-tic; l

o? the tuhefuhcn by s predetci'f She upper end here ts diameter is greater, 5 1.- iod in analogous 'piii't are of the mercury to vevy the height of the consequently its pressure fl-Illl of the me! sens for the purpose '21 A he letter. in practice the neck is reased otherwise treated, so as to pecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 21, 1905. Serial No. 251,331.

Patented. Feb. 12, 1907.

upper surface to stand shove the edge or lip m of the neck and there remain. The interno.1 diameter of the neck 9 is a little larger than the external diameter of the capillary end it of the tuhef, that enters it. curtailing the surface of the dilute acid exposed to the air loss by evaporation is greatlyreduced.

In fitting up the apparatus the capillary end it of the mercury-tube is first caused to 7 enter the dilute acid (Z, and the height of the column of me only in the tubef is then increased, by moons of the displecer Z, untilits pressure causes the mercury to flow out from the capillary end h, and so drive out the air. The pressure is then decreased suiiicientlyito enable the capillary force to raise the column, which draws up dilute acid into the part from which the air was ex elled. The positions of the meniscus and. the surface of the dilute acid are now respectively adjusted by means of the (lisplacers is Z, hereinhefore referred to,so that the pert of the capillary end of the tube traversed by the meniscus is above the top of the neck 9 of the vessel i5. Terminals i, 8 5 are fused into the mercury-tube f and into the U-sheped vessel 5, respectively, so as to make a good electric contact with the .loid t conductors contained by them. Preferably the copillery end of the mcrcurytuhe is ren 9 dered opaque'(see Fig. 3) except at ports n, diometricellv opposite, where it is trans parent, so esl to permit the passage or" a beam of light or other rays whose other dimension is varied by the position of the meniscus. It is also preferable that the lower part of the U-sheped vessel, which is occupied by the mercury he provided Wit 1 e icohstriction 0 for the purpose oil hiniierin the movement of its fluid contents when the ELppfl -ffllfllS is suh- I0 jQClil to vibration.

Instead of greesingthe inner Wells of the neck 9 of the ecihcontenzing vessel 2) We may provide it Witho r movable cdge'or lip of wax or other m rial {not shown) so treated as to he HOE-w ettolile! The mercurytuhe j" supported by an arm .92, adapted to slide on o screw-threaded post q, iipon which it may he adjusted by means of a nut "r. The vessel '1) is similarly supported by an no In Fig. 2 is shown all arrangement for photogrephically recording the movements of By thus 65 the meniscus due to the changes of the actuating potential diilerenccs. According to this arrangement a beam of light or other suitable rays projected through an aperture 25 in one of the walls a of a dark chamber is wholly or partly screened. or diverted by the thread of mercury in the capillary end 71 of the tube f when the meniscus occupies certain positions. Behind the aperture t and within the dark chamber .a sensitized tape '2; or other surface is caused to travel, and it is u on this that a record in the shape of a hand w osc Width is controlled by the position of the meniscus is photogra hically printed.

For this purpose we emp oy any suitable source to of light or other suitable rays having areflector :20 and means, such as a lens 3/ or its equivalent, of concentrating the rays upon a slit 2 in a screen 1. On'the opposite side of the screen last referred to is located the cap illary end of the mercury-tube in such a posh tion that the movement of the mercury will. intersect the beam of rays passing through the slit 2 in the screen 1 to a greater or less extent. An alurnbath 2 or equivalent means is preferably employed to screen out the heat-rays. One or more suitable lens-es or their equivalents, such as are shown at 3 l 5, are employed to reject an image of the dis laced mercury tlirough or upon the slot t, ehin'd which the tape 1) is caused to travel by any well-known or suitable means. After the record has been made the sensitized surface is developed, fixed, and washed in the well-known manner in some cases the recording device may be rlispc sed with and the image of the displaced mercury caused to fall upon a graduated or other surface, from which. its movements may be ob served, or, alternatively, a selenium-cell or its equivalent (not shown) may be employed and the movement of the displaced mercury caused to vary the illumination of the surface of such selenium-cell by the beam of light, whereby a local circuit, including a battery and a telephonic receiver or analogous part, may be actuated in the Well-known manner.

What we claim as our invention, and lesire to secure by Letters Patent, is"

1. An apparatus for observing or record-- ing electrical phenomena consisting of a bent tube containing in. one part mercury and in i .the other a conductor other than mercury, a capillary tube containing a liquidconductru and dipping into the-end ol the bent tube and means for passing an electric current through the tubes and the liquids therein.

access in an apparatus for observing or record- .ing electrical phenomena the combinationand oi a lJ-shaped tube containing conduit tor other than mercury in one part and men cury i n the other part.

in apparatus forcbscrving or recording electrical phenomena the combination of capillary tube containing a conducting liquid and a level-regulati g rod dipping into the same with a U-shapcd tube containing a ecu-- ductor other than mercury in one part, Inercury in the other part, and a level-regulating rod entering the open part of the hhshaped. tube.

6. in an apparatus for observing or recording electrical phenomena the combination of capillary tube with a U-shaped tube the curved part of the itshaped tube being of constricted internal diameter.

7. in an apparatus for observing or recording electrical phenomena a tl-shaped tube havinga curved part of const 'cted internal diameter, one wit n a narrow end and a terminal. leading into the tube.

8. In an apparatus for observing or recorrl- .ing electrical phenomena a tJ-shaped tube with a constricted curved portion combined with a level-regulating rod 9. in an apparatus for observi 1g or record ing electrical phenomena a U-slmped tube having a restricted curved part combined with a reduced portion at the end of one leg and a level-regulating rod entering the other leg.

10. in an apparatus for observing or recording electrical phenomena a tube having a capillary part at one end and an open, wider, part at the other, fitted with a terminal and combined with a level-rcgulating rod entering the Wideand of such tube.

11. An apparatus for observing or recording e ectrical phenomena consisting or a cap illary tube containing a conducting liquid a bent tube containing n'icrcury in one part and a conductor other than mercury in the I of the tubes on the support.

2. In an apparatus for observing or recordillary tube containing a liquid conductor, a

ing electricalphenomena the combination with a capillary tube of a U-shaped tube havi ing legs of unequal lengths, one end contaming a conductor other than. mercury and the remaining part of the U-shaped tube containing mercury.

12. do a uiratus lor observin or recordmg electrical phenomena coi'isisting of a cap bent lube containing mercury in one part and a conductor other than mercury in the other part, means for passing current through the conductors, means for regulating the level of the conductors in the tubes, a

support for the tubes and means for adjustl ing the tubes on the supports.

13. In an apparatus for observing or recording electrical phenomena a capillary tube opaque at its end, and having transparent parts in the opaque end.

14. In an apparatus for observing or recording electrical phenomena a tube drawn out to capillary dimensions at its end, the capillary end being opaque and having trans parent portions, and an electrically-operated column of liquid in said tube combined with a source of light deflected by the column of liquid.

15. In an apparatus for observing or recording electrical phenomena an opaque tube I provided uith a passage for light and an elecl tricallyopcratrn'l cohj'rnn of liquid adapted to move across the said passage.

1 In testimony whereof We have signed our l names to this specification in the presence of I two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES 'lAlUiOT'lUN ARMS'IRONG.

- c AXEL 01mm.

" Witnesses l I EDGAR A. GoDmN,

[ I H. D. JAMEsoN. 

